Truth With a Twist
by gamemasterTP
Summary: The ultimate question...What if Dumbledore had children, a daughter as smart as he? Would she be brave? Athletic? Snobby? How about all of the above? Scarlet Dumbledore begins her education  that she seems to already have and makes strange relationships
1. A Rumour

Chapter One

It was another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as the train arrived to the gate, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking together, talking about what the upcoming year would bring.

"Hopefully we don't have to go through being chased through the Department of Mysteries again, that was bloody hell-like!" Ron muttered. Harry and Hermione laughed.

"Oh, don't worry, Ron, it's not like they were after _you_!" Hermione jumped in. Harry went silent and gave her a stare. Hermione looked back.

"What? It's true, Harry, you know very well that Voldemort would do anything to get his hands on you."

Everyone surrounding them turned to Hermione in shock that she used His name and gasped in horror. The three of them rolled their eyes and continued up the path to Hogwarts. They dropped their luggage at the gate, where they saw Hagrid.

"Why, hello, Hagrid, good to see you again!" Hermione exclaimed. Hagrid laughed heavily and threw his giant arms around the three of them.

"Great teh see you three again! Dumbledore's got a surprise fer the whole school this year, I think yeh'll be quite shocked teh see what he's got fer ya this year!" Hagrid replied back. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at each other with puzzled faces. They nodded silently and carried on up the path. Harry suddenly felt a jerk on the shoulder.

"Watch out, Potter! Had too many butterbeers on the train? Not surprised. So, I overheard your little get together with Hagrid over there, Dumbeldore's got a surprise for us? Not scared, are you, Potter?"

Harry was more than annoyed with Malfoy's attitude, but he had to admit, he was kind of scared. 'What could it possibly be? New lavatories? New teachers?' he thought. He left the thought behind him and shook his head.


	2. A New Student

Chapter Two

As the night went on, the rumour of the surprise carried throughout the school, to first-years, to seventh-years, and to everybody in between. Ron was hastily shoving his face with food, while Hermione was watching him in disgust. Harry was discussing the rumour with his friends Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley.

"It can't be anything bad, besides, you mentioned that it is for the whole school, so don't take it personally, Harry." Ginny told him. He heard from a few seats down a banging noise, which was just Hermione hitting Ron off the side of the head with a fairly large textbook.

"Do-you-ever-stop-eating!" She yelled. Ron was shielding himself from another blow with his arms.

"I'm hungry…" Ron managed to say, mouth full of food.

"Everybody take a seat, Professor Dumbledore will begin the year with a short briefing." Professor McGonagall spoke out over the entire Great Hall.

"Goodness, I hope this doesn't go too badly…"

"Hello, everyone, welcome. To all the first-years, welcome. To everyone else, welcome back to another year. Before I get to the fun part, I must remind you that the forest behind the school grounds is strictly forbidden, which means it may not be used as a punishment-"

"Filch" , Harry and his friends all said together.

"-and it will not be used for any mischief. Also, Professor Snape is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, with Professor Slughorn taking over Potions-"

Everyone looked at each other with wide eyes, dreadfully waiting for the next day, where they will be greeted by dreadful Professor Snape. Snape stood up from his seat at the front of the Great Hall, giving everyone his usual death stare, and then sat back down.

"Come on, get to the good part already!" Neville sighed desperately.

"-And now, for the good part that I'm sure you are all waiting for by the looks of your faces. This year, someone very special will be at our school and participating in all sixth-year classes. She is very dear to me, and I am sure that she will become friends with at least a few of you, if not all. Scarlet!"

At the very moment that the doors to the Great Hall opened, a slender red-headed girl with a lengthy green gown and a crown-like figure upon her head appeared at the entrance. Fireworks exploded everywhere above her head, which looked somewhat annoyed to be there. She quickly paced down the aisle of the Great Hall, looking somewhat embarrassed. She arrived at the end of the aisle to be greeted by Professor Dumbledore.

"You made it alright, my dear?" Dumbledore whispered to her.

"I live here," She said sarcastically. "and I would have felt a little more comfortable without the light show, but, I'm already up here."

"Now, now, Scarlet, I'm sure you will do just fine, think of it this way, this is your kingdom, after all." The headmaster said with his right arm spread open toward the students.

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy and his companions Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were discussing the new girl.

"Who is she? Who does she think she is, talking to Professor Dumbledore that way?" Crabbe asked.

"Since when do you care about Dumbledore at all, Crabbe?" Malfoy retorted back. Crabbe went red in the face, humiliated by the remark.

"Well whoever she is, not only is she _scorching_-" Goyle breathed on the word "-but she seems tough, judging by that crown thingy on her head!"

The girl turned around to face the students of Hogwarts, chin held high with authority.

"Everyone, this is my lovely daughter, and current sovereign of the wizarding world, Princess Scarlet Dumbledore." The headmaster announced to the entire school. Everyone's eyes widened. Crabbe and Goyle's jaws dropped open.

"How did _that-_" Crabbe pointed to Scarlet.

"Come from _that_?" Goyle pointed to Albus Dumbeldore.

"Must have had a drop-dead gorgeous mother, let me tell you!" Malfoy laughed.

"We're going to have _her _in our classes?" Hermione exclaimed, still in shock.

"This is going to be a good year!" Ron agreed, nodding his head smoothly. Hermione gasped in disgust, and slapped him across the head. Ron tried to fight back, but was unsuccessful. He rubbed the left side of his face, which was now red with a hand mark.

"Get over yourself, Ron, what makes you think she's interested?" Harry laughed at him.

"_That _doesn't matter, there's going to be a lot of guys interested in her!" Neville pointed out.

"And now-" Professor Dumbledore continued "-she shall be sorted into her house. If you could take a seat, my dear." He showed her to a small wooden stool, which had a hat placed upon it. He took the hat, and Scarlet grabbed the ends of her gown, and sat. The headmaster slowly placed the hat upon her head. The hat jumped.

"Ha! You're worse than Potter! What are you trying to do to me, Albus?" The hat exclaimed. Scarlet jumped in shock from the fact that the hat talked.

"Easy now, you're fine, but you are definitely the _hardest_ student that I have ever had to place into a house! Let's see…You have a _brilliant _brain, like your father…-"

"Looks like you have some competition this year, Hermione." Ginny teased. Hermione sighed dreadfully, as if the day could not get any worse.

"-…_outstanding_ athleticism…-"

Both Draco and Harry looked up attentively.

"-…there's bravery, oh yes…"

Everyone from the Gryffindor table then looked up and stared desperately.

"-…But my goodness, the attitude…You are quite the _fiery_ one, aren't you?"

The entire Gryffindor table moaned. Scarlet gasped in disgust.

"I _can _be!" She retorted to the hat, insulted.

"Well well _well_!" The hat replied back. "I think that your remarks just put you in SLYTHERIN!"

The students occupying the Slytherin table jumped out of their seats in excitement to have such a person in their house. Draco clapped with the rest of the house, skeptical about the upcoming school year. Scarlet stood up off of the stool, and glided over to her designated table (it was easy to tell which one it was, she just had to look for the screaming people, or should I say boys).


	3. The Unusual Encounter

Chapter Three

When supper was ended, Scarlet was being skillfully followed by almost every boy in the school. They trailed behind her, pretending to be casual by walking by, but their faces turned so red as they passed that it became obvious to her that they were trying to catch her attention in hope to be noticed. Annoyed with this, she Apparated to another location in the castle, while the rest of the school was confused with her ability, because they all knew that it was impossible for students to Apparate within castle walls. Pleased with herself, she laughed. She found herself in the hallway in front of the Female Prefect's Washroom.

"Close enough." She sighed, and went inside.

Inside the room she found a large washtub, filled with water, with at least twenty different taps leading into it. This took up a large portion of the area, along with multiple stalls lined up across the room. She was fascinated with the washroom, as hers was not nearly as large. She lifted up the ends of her long gown, and slipped her feet into the water. As she stuck the rest of her body in, her gown dissolved into thin air, until she was completely immersed, with the exception of her head.

She sat in the tub for several minutes, until she was abruptly disturbed by none other than Draco Malfoy. She squealed at the top of her lungs.

"And just _what _in your right mind are you doing in here?" Scarlet shouted to him. Draco narrowed his eyes.

"And _what _makes you think that you can talk to me like that?" He said in defense.

"_Well…_" Scarlet sneered "_clearly _this is the _Female Prefect's Bathroom_, can you not read?"

Draco's face went red.

"Of course I know bloody well how to read!" He shouted.

"Then I guess not very well, I know it _looks_ like it says _Male_, but it just so happens that there was an _F_ and an _E_ on the front of it."

"Don't you have your own bathroom?" Draco replied back, trying to find another excuse for his mistake.

"I might," Scarlet answered "but maybe I would like to be alone, rather than having a bunch of boys following me to my room and bothering me every night and day."

Draco nodded, agreeing with her logic.

"And now _I _will ask _you_ something: You now know that this is the _Female Prefect's Bathroom_, and I am living proof of that, so _why_ are _you_ still standing _there_?"

Draco was going to say something, but he knew that he would just lose once again to the verbal battle, so he remained quiet, and left. When he was back in the hallway, he was being stared at by a group of female prefects. The worst part, was that they were _all_ in Slytherin.

"Wow, Draco, I didn't take you for _that_ type!" A girl on the far right said.

"Especially now that _you're _a _prefect_!" Another girl said.

"Now if you could please _excuse_ us, Draco, " A girl on the left began "we would like to have a bath, _in peace._"

Draco laughed.

"You can have fun with that, I've already had my fair share of _her_, and this is the first day!" he said, and slipped away from the group.

The girls turned to each other in confusion.

"What exactly did he mean by that?"

"We'll find out, won't we?"

So, the girls opened the door, where they found Scarlet Dumbledore looking at herself in an old-fashioned silver mirror. Their eyes lit up like stars. Scarlet caught a glimpse of them through the mirror, turned around, and sighed in relief.

"Good, at least this time it's _girls._"

"Oh my gosh, it's the _princess_!" One of the girls squealed in excitement.

"I guess it must have been embarrassing for him if you were standing right there when he left, hmm?" Scarlet joked around. All of the girls laughed.

"What a story to tell tomorrow!" Another girl said. Scarlet jumped in horror of the thought of someone else other than the girls and Draco knowing about what happened

"Please! Not a word!" Scarlet begged.

"Why not? You think he was _cute_?" The girls teased.

"Oh _please_. Like that's what I need right now is a boyfriend. I've already had _plenty_ to choose from if I wanted one, trust me, they follow me everywhere! However, I do not need to have my reputation ruined by a bunch of immature prefects. If I were to say something, I would say that this place is just like a Muggle high school!"

The girls shrieked at the word _Muggle._

"How _dare_ you compare us to those _things_!"

Scarlet was amused with how stereotypical the Slytherins were, pure-bloods wanting nothing to do with the Muggle world.

"How, did you ask? Well, I just did, didn't I? If you don't want to be compared to them, then act like it! Now that I have a taste of what this place is like _outside _of my room, this ought to be an interesting experience. You girls have fun doing whatever it is you were planning on doing, I'll be leaving now. Good night." She retorted back. The girls were speechless at the farewell, thinking that someone of her class would have a sense of politeness in her, but they were obviously proved wrong. Scarlet adjusted her crown in the mirror for the last time, swiftly walked past them, and exited the washroom.


	4. The TurnAround of the Night

Chapter Four

When she found herself back in the hallway, she was somehow surrounded by boys once again. She rolled her eyes, and continued walking. Sure enough, the boys followed her. Scarlet was becoming furious. She turned around to face them all, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and her left eyebrow raised. All of the boys jumped with guilt, caught red-handed.

"I'm not sure if all of you got the memo, but usually, this-" she pointed to her face "-means I'm angry. Do you know why?" She spoke cheerfully, but sarcastically. All of the boys were terrified of her, thinking they knew what was to come next.

"_Well_? Anybody? Anybody at all? Come on, guys, this is not a trick question!"

The boys fell to their knees, begging for forgiveness.

"Please, Your Highness, we're sorry for following you around!" A boy in Ravenclaw, who was carrying a camera pleaded.

Scarlet was surprised with the boy, who actually called her 'Your Highness'. She eased her tension, approached him, and smiled.

"And just who might you be, young man?" Scarlet asked him.

"C-C-Connor Creevey, Your Highness" He replied back "Fourth-year"

"Well, Connor Creevey, you are the _first _one to have the decency to call me by what I am, I'm glad you were paying attention when my father addressed me. For that, you deserve a reward. Five points to…which house?"

All of the boys left in the area's jaw dropped. They all looked at each other.

"She can give _points_?" A boy in Hufflepuff whispered to another boy in Gryffindor. Scarlet overheard this.

"Of course I can! Other than my father, who is _headmaster_, I have the _highest _authority in this whole bloody _castle_! Anyways, Mr. Creevey, your house?"

"R-Ravenclaw, Your Highness" Connor answered.

"Well then, five points to Ravenclaw. Now, if the rest of you boys who decided to stay here and not take off like a coward had any respect, you would leave me alone. Better yet, pass the message on to your friends while you're at it, and I will ever be grateful to you all. Now, just because I am new here, does not mean that I do not know the rules. It is getting late, so you should be heading back to your dormitories if you do not want to get in any more mischief tonight. Off you go." She made a shooing motion with her hand, and off they went, but Connor remained stationary and on his knees. Scarlet looked down to him.

"Mr. Creevey, what are you still doing here? I said you could go."

Connor bowed his head.

"Actually, Your Highness, you told those boys that _they _could go, you have not dismissed me yet, Your Highness."

Scarlet nodded, agreeing.

"You clever little Ravenclaw, I foresaw your logical ability, forgive me. Therefore, Connor Creevey, you may go and enjoy the rest of your return to Hogwarts. Have a good night."

Connor stood up, and bowed respectfully.

"I wish the same to you, Your Highness" He said, and left down the hallway.

'So there is some decency in this castle after all' Scarlet thought, and proceeded to the Staircase Tower.

The trip to the tower was not a long one, because halfway there Scarlet realized that she could Apparate to any location in the castle. When she reappeared at the entrance to the tower, all eyes were turned towards her. She sighed heavily, and continued walking. She looked up to the top of the tower, which was a fair distance away from where she was standing, and had second thoughts about walking up all of the stairs. She turned to a group of mixed gender, from the looks of them first-years, who were all looking around the room, seeming to be lost. She approached them calmly, and smiled. They all looked horrified. Scarlet tilted her head slightly to the side, confused with the look that they were giving her. She dropped the thought.

"No need to be afraid, trust me, there were some kids that I ran into earlier who got a lot worse from me. I couldn't help but notice that you seem a little…lost."

"We are, Your Highness, can you please help us?" A short blond girl said.

Scarlet looked at their crests, and concluded that they were all from Gryffindor.

"Judging by your crests, I'm going to take a wild guess that you are trying to find the Gryffindor Common Room, am I correct?"

They all nodded their heads silently.

"Well, it is getting late, so I guess I could help you out. Come, follow me."

Scarlet proceeded up the stairs, keeping a close eye on the first-years. Once they all got on the staircase, the stairs shifted. All of the first-years braced on to the railings, all with frightened looks on their faces.

"Calm down, it's just the staircases," Scarlet informed them. "they have a tendency to move around, however, they are always to your advantage, so there is nothing to worry about."

Once the stairs came to a halt, Scarlet continued onwards, and gave the first-years a forward motion. They were still a little frightened, but they eased up over a few moments. They climbed a few more sets of stairs, until they came to a large portrait of a fairly large woman, who looked pleased to see Scarlet.

"Ah! Miss Scarlet! Were you put into Gryffindor?"

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Fat Lady, but I was not. I am just assisting these first-years in finding their way." Scarlet replied. The Fat Lady was shocked.

"Well then, I was certain that you would be in Gryffindor, but even us portraits can be wrong apparently. Well, first-years, password?"

The group of first-years looked confused. Scarlet turned to them.

"Do you know the password to get in?" She asked. They all shook their head. Scarlet held her chin, trying to remember the password, and then it popped into her head.

"Well, I guess I could help you guys out once more. Fortuna Major!"

"That is correct! You may go in." The Fat Lady told them. The group of first-years carried on inside. Scarlet waved to them happily.

"Good night!" She called.

"Good night, Your Highness!" They all called back. The majority of the kids inside the Gryffindor Common Room ran to get a view of the princess before the door closed, but they were unsuccessful. Scarlet remembered the comment that the Sorting Hat made earlier that evening. 'But my goodness, the attitude…'. She laughed.

"I_ can _have attitude, I don't _always_ have attitude, _that_ would not be proper of me."


	5. Night's Reflection

Chapter Five

After Scarlet was finished helping the first-years to their dormitories, she Apparated to the top of the Staircase Tower, where her personal bedchamber was. When she reappeared, she was at the entrance to her room, which was guarded by a portrait of the deceased Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The man in the picture jumped out of the seat behind his desk when she appeared before him. He took a close look at her, to make sure that she wasn't an imposter. Scarlet rolled her eyes, because he did this _every_ time she wanted to go inside, and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, miss, password?" The Minister asked.

"Dear Minister, you know it is me, it is _always _me, I am the_ only _one who comes up here, do you not remember me telling you that there is a barrier that only allows people that I permit to enter?" Scarlet replied restlessly.

"I do, miss, but how do I know that it is you? Only the _real _Princess Scarlet Dumbledore knows the password, as it is her favourite constellation!"

"Fine!" Scarlet whined. "Orion!"

"That is correct, you may enter, Your Highness. I am sorry I held you up, but one must be sure." The portrait swayed to the side, allowing Scarlet to go in. She went inside, to the room where she lived for sixteen years by herself, and shook her head. 'I don't know why father put him as my guard.' She thought to herself.

Her room was as large as the Great Hall itself, with its own private library, with a duplicate of every book you would find in the school library and more. It had its own washroom, complete with a luxurious washtub and vanity, but it was not quite as large as the Female Prefect's Washroom, but still large enough for a princess. In another corner was her enormous bed, with a white satin canopy hanging over it.

She lunged for her bed, stretched out, and laid there. She ran over the events that occurred that evening, the most dominant one being where she awkwardly came across the self-centered Draco Malfoy (she knew who he was, she knew all of the sixth-year students because she was jealous that they got to be students and not her when she was eleven, she just didn't want to freak him out even more than he already was when they met). She thought about it over and over again. She then thought about the girls that came in after he left and teased her about him being cute. The more she thought about it, she admitted to herself that he was a fairly good-looking young man, but she still stood by what she said before-the last thing she needed was a boyfriend. 'Who said I couldn't have a friend that was a boy?' Scarlet then thought to herself. She was then thinking about how she could make it up to Draco by apologizing (if he accepted it, we all know that Draco is very arrogant).

Scarlet began to think it through. They were both in Slytherin, so they will always be fairly near each other at meal times. They were both what she called 'sixth-years', if she considered herself one, so they were going to be in the same classes, most of the time. She knew that Malfoy was Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. 'Not for long…' She joked with herself, as she was excellent at Quidditch. She has met several of the world's most famous Quidditch players, including Viktor Krum, Seeker for Bulgaria. She couldn't forget that she gets the latest Nimbus model broomstick from Mr. Nimbus himself before they go into stock, so she was a top of the line Quidditch player. She has also watched every Quidditch game that has taken place at Hogwarts since she was eleven, as she had a perfect view of the Quidditch Pitch from her bedroom window, beside the Headmaster's Office, where her father spent the majority of his time either monitoring his daughter, or looking into the mysterious sink-looking object that she discovered was a Pensieve last year, while watching him put a strand of his hair into the water-like substance, and then later returning to her library and pulling out an old book that she recalled reading about a familiar object that looked similar to her father's.

'That's the first thing I shall do when I enter the Great Hall tomorrow morning-find Draco Malfoy and invite him to join me at breakfast. I shall then bring up tonight's unfortunate occurrence and apologize to him. However, I know Draco Malfoy. He's not a very pleasant person at times, when he's caught up in being spoiled and rich. I can be that way, if I wanted to, that's probably the best way to do it, now that I think about it. Yes, I will be like that, maybe then I will win over his attention, and possibly even his friendship.' Scarlet thought, concluded, and dismissed her plan until the next morning.


	6. The Morning Challenge

Chapter Six

The next morning, Scarlet woke up, plans set to find Draco Malfoy. She quickly thought about her garments, and then with a swift flick with her Maplewood wand, she appeared in a moderate length, green gown with silver linings to correspond with her house colours. She left her long red hair down to hang from her head, as if it were a veil. She didn't bother wearing a crown today, she figured everybody knew who she was without one.

Once she was fulfilled with herself and ready, she then left the room using Apparition once again (it was one of her favourite abilities, seeing as though she was the only one able to use it, other than her father and the teachers).

She then reappeared in front of the Great Hall. Everyone jumped in shock when she appeared out of nowhere, and she simply greeted them with a 'hello' or a 'good morning' and continued with her day. She slowly opened the Great Hall doors, as she was afraid that there would be another fireworks display waiting for her, but there was not. As she entered, all faces turned toward her, which she was expecting to happen, but she did not take the time to let it annoy her, as she had more important things to do than to deal with a bunch of awestruck boys. Instead, she proceeded towards the Slytherin table, but was interrupted by none other than Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She gave Harry a close look, to make sure she was seeing him correctly. She looked for the scar on his forehead, but was unable to find it through his thick bangs. It was tempting to lift them, so she hesitated to walk past the two of them and engaged in conversation.

"Forgive me for asking, this is probably a horrible time, but you wouldn't happen to be _the _Harry Potter?" She asked Harry.

"The one and only, Your Highness." He replied, lifting the bangs out of the way to give her a plain view of his lightning scar.

"Goodness, is it ever a pleasure to meet you!" She exclaimed "I know that you and my father are very close, so I couldn't help but ask to confirm." She looked over to Ron, knowing exactly who he was as well. "And you, are Ronald Weasley, yes?"

Ron's eyes widened at the sound of his name.

"Yeah, I am," he replied, puzzled with how she might have known him "How do you-"

"I know all of the sixth-years, for personal reasons, I will leave it at that. This is odd, aren't you two usually hanging around with-"

"Me?" said Hermione Granger, who rushed over the minute she saw Harry and Ron talking to Princess Scarlet.

"Yes, Miss Granger! I was just asking about you, of course, you must have overheard, seeing as though you answered my question! I've heard so much about what you three have done over the years, finding the Philosopher's Stone, solving the mystery about the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Tournament, and the list goes on…"

"Now that you know who we are, Your Highness," Harry jumped in "Ron and I were wondering if you would be interested in joining the Slytherin Quidditch team? We were hoping we could have some sort of competition this year!"

Ron laughed. Scarlet pondered on the comment for a moment, and crossed her arms in a form of anger.

"What exactly was that supposed to mean? Are you saying that Slytherin has no skill at all? If I'm not mistaken, last year's championship game was a tie between Gryffindor and Slytherin!" She recalled. "I may be new here, but I'm not_ clueless._"

"I told you it wouldn't work." Hermione told Harry.

"You should have been a Ravenclaw, Miss Granger." Scarlet assured her. "However, I was already planning on joining the Quidditch team, so you better keep an eye out on the pitch, Potter, because if I'm not in your sight, I'm already after the Snitch! So, when are tryouts?"

"Today, after lunch." Ron informed her.

"Alright, I'll be there. Anyways, I do have some things to do before classes start this morning, so I shall most likely see you in class sometime today, until then, enjoy your morning, you three."

After the short discussion, Scarlet continued to walk over to the Slytherin table. She began to look for Malfoy, and when she finally found him, she noticed that he was looking straight at her. 'Looks like I already have his attention, that part is out of the way.' She thought. Without hesitation, she walked right to him, and sat down on the bench beside him. He continued to glare at her with an unwelcoming expression.

"Hello, Draco, you don't seem too happy this morning." She began. Draco changed his expression to a more confused look.

"Wait-How do you-"

" I know all of the sixth-years, for personal reasons, I will leave it at that for now. Anyways, how are you this fine morning?"

"Dismal, you know you're talking to the-"

"The young man who walked in on me having a bath last night and engaged in a verbal battle with none other than myself, yes, I know who I'm talking to. Other than that, I was wondering if you would like to join me at breakfast this morning? You know, to reconcile what happened last night?"

"We met _last _night, we had it out, you seem to know my name somehow, and now you're asking me to breakfast?"

"To sum it all up, yes, is there something wrong?"

Draco laughed.

"You must not know me very well, _Your_ _Highness._" He sneered.

"I know you perfectly well. Rich family, father works at the Ministry, I believe I've had a word or two with him, come to think about it, large house, or should I say _mansion,_ Snape's favourite student, shall I go on? That's not even _touching_ your personality traits…"

"Wait, what about Snape?-"

"_Anyways_, my point now proven, I know for a _fact_ that you don't take fights easily, especially with Mr. Potter over there-"

"Please, do not mention _him._"

"Can you just _listen _for a minute?" Scarlet bellowed. "I'm trying to make things up to you, but if you don't want to do breakfast, that's _fine_, that's_ all_ you have to say. So, once again, would you mind breakfast?"

Draco gave her a hard stare.

"Not today."

Scarlet shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine, by the way, if I don't see you in class, see you at Quidditch tryouts."

Draco laughed hysterically.

"Wait a _minute_! _You_ playing _Quidditch_? You're funny, that's what you are."

Scarlet crossed her arms and curled her lip upwards.

"You hate Potter so much, yet you have commonalities. You're both _prejudice_, because you know what? Potter said the exact same thing that you just did! I bet _that_ was a slap to the face, now, wasn't it? I bet I could kick your rich, snobby _ass_ at Quidditch. You want to be that way, I can be that way too, but don't tell me to stop, because _you're_ the reason I started. Bring it on. After lunch. At the Quidditch Pitch, both playing Seeker positions. You scared, Malfoy?"

Scarlet walked away furiously, ready for a challenge. 'You think you're tough? We'll see about _that_!' She thought, and laughed all the way to Potions.

Crabbe and Goyle's jaw dropped.

"Did she just-?" Crabbe began.

"Yep." Goyle finished.

"And she'll soon be wishing that she didn't…" Malfoy concluded.


	7. Potions Class

Chapter Seven

The first class of the morning was Potions, which was taught by Professor Slughorn. Scarlet wasn't surprised that Draco walked in not long after she did, her day was already going horribly. She had planned to make things up between the two of them, and they only got worse, but she had to admit, Draco _really _needed to learn his place in society. 'He'll learn the hard way, I guess, starting with this class…' She thought.

Professor Slughorn entered the room, with three distinct vials in his hand.

'Let's see, that's what you would call Liquid Luck, or Felix Felicis to get more technical, quite rare, actually, but I've made a few brews of it…I could _use_ some of that right now, come to think about it…What else…Why, that's the strongest love potion in the _world_! I shouldn't get too close to it… The last one…Looks too common to tell…" Scarlet thought to herself.

"Ah! Miss Scarlet! _You're_ in _this_ class? I figured you would at least take the seventh-year level instead of wasting your time with _this_ class!" Professor Slughorn laughed.

"Well, Professor, only time will tell…" Scarlet replied hopelessly.

"Here we go…" Draco added on quietly, while Crabbe and Goyle laughed at his remark. Scarlet overheard his comment, trying to restrain herself from slapping him across the face for _real_.

'Now is not the time, Scarlet, take it out on the Pitch…' She thought to herself.

"Alright, class, time to grab your textbooks, first one to give me a perfect brew of Liquid Death will get this tiny little vial…Does anyone know what it is?"

"Liquid Luck." Scarlet and Hermione said simultaneously.

"Well, if you want to get technical, it is scientifically called Felix Felicis" Scarlet added on.

"Yes, that's right! Five points to Slytherin and Gryffindor, but I'll give Slytherin an extra five because Miss Scarlet gave me the scientific name as well! Very good!"

Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy all looked at each other in amazement.

'Looks like she's good for something after all…' Draco thought to himself, nodding his head while pondering on the thought. Crabbe and Goyle both watched Malfoy nod his head, wondering what he could possibly be thinking, until Malfoy noticed them both staring at him.

"What are _you_ glaring at?" Draco sneered.

"Nothing, nothing, you just looked rather odd nodding your head like that. Something on your mind, especially after she really edged you on this morning?" Crabbe replied.

"Oh, _please_, do you _really_ think that she's _bothering_ me?" Draco retorted.

"Sure seems like it, doesn't it, Crabbe?" Goyle jumped in.

"Seriously, Draco, just give it up. You know she won, and she'll probably keep _winning_! What's the point of fighting back, she's got just as much, if not _more_ skill than you do! Besides, who took the first strike anyways? Was it not _you_ that walked into a _Female Prefect's Bathroom_? What did you _expect_?" Crabbe suggested.

"Just shut up, Crabbe." Malfoy demanded. 'As much as I hate to admit it, he's right for once in his life…'

After the class got their textbooks, they all began to brew up a cauldron of Liquid Death. Scarlet already had her ingredients all lined up in order, ready to be added to the cauldron. Professor Slughorn walked over and noticed that she did not have a textbook with her. He asked her why she didn't have one and she replied with "I really don't need an old book to tell me how to make a simple potion such as this one, Professor." and continued working.

Moments later, Scarlet completed her potion, she did a quick check to make sure it worked by dropping a tiny leaf into the potion, which then shriveled and dissolved in the substance. She called Professor Slughorn over to do a final check by doing the same thing. The potion was successful.

"There we have it, folks, it's perfect! One vial of Felix Felicis for you!" Exclaimed Professor Slughorn as he handed Scarlet the tiny vial of Felix Felicis. Hermione was jealously watching the vial being placed into her hand from the corner of the room. Ginny Weasley gave her a "told you" look and Hermione just rolled her eyes.

Once the class was dismissed, Scarlet looked back over to Draco with a death stare, silently warning him not to make any more derogatory comments behind her back. Draco was looking straight at her as well, with a more eased expression, wishing that he hadn't said anything, because the more he thought about it, Crabbe was becoming more and more right by the second. She stormed out of the classroom, but Draco did not take his eyes off of her for a second.

'I'm sure if we hadn't had such a bad start, I would probably think differently of her. She seems like she could be a nice person, but, Crabbe was right, I blew it, and in a horrible way, too! Who in the right mind walks into a Female Washroom when they know that they aren't a female? I must not have been paying much attention…' he thought 'And the worst part of it all, is that she tried making it up to me, and I just pushed her away…I sure got burned for it, though…'

"Draco? Draco?" Goyle yelled in Malfoy's face, snapping his fingers in front of his eyes "Snap out of it!"

Malfoy did not realize that he had lost his conscious thought for a few moments. After a few a Goyle's snaps, he caught a hold of himself and shook his head in disappointment with himself. He couldn't get her out of his mind. 'What would my father think of me if he knew that I did something like that…to a _princess_? She said that she's talked to him, too!' He sighed heavily, and continued on out of the classroom. Crabbe and Goyle followed him, but kept some distance from him so they could talk without him knowing.

"I bet that Draco is wishing that he hadn't walked in on her last night." Goyle suggested to him.

"I think so too, quite frankly." Crabbe agreed "I think he's got something going on in his head that isn't his usual self either."

"Do you think that he'll apologize?"

"That will be the day, won't it? We know Draco, Goyle, has he ever done something like that to _anyone_?"

"Absolutely not. Still, I can't help but wonder what he's thinking right now…"


	8. Friends New and Old

Chapter Eight

The time passed, it was now lunch time at Hogwarts. Scarlet sat at the very end of the Slytherin table, not saying a word while she ate her assorted sandwiches, with Malfoy all the way at the other end. Once again, Scarlet was surrounded by a large group of boys who kept to themselves, as the message got passed on to them last night in the Slytherin Common Room, warning them to leave her be. They couldn't help but notice that she seemed a tad upset, but they left her alone anyways, as they feared that they would only make her feel worse than she already was. Nevertheless, she continued eating, somewhat desperate for Quidditch tryouts afterwards.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Slytherin table, Malfoy had a similar attitude. Crabbe and Goyle were trying to make him budge, trying to get him to think about other things other than Scarlet, and then he finally spoke.

"Look, you can stop trying to make me feel better, because it is not working." Malfoy sighed heavily. Goyle shook his head hopelessly.

"If anything, I would say that you have something for her, Draco, you're making it obvious."

"Something for who?" A girl with short brown hair piped in, curious about who they could possibly be talking about, hoping that it was her, as she has had a crush on Draco for years now, but she hasn't been hanging around him lately because he was acting rather strange for the morning.

"Pansy, this has nothing to do with you, mind your own business." Crabbe told her.

"I'm so_ sure_, seeing as though _I'm _his only _female _friend. Anyways, what's been going on with you lately? You've been acting rather _odd_."

"I'm glad you think this involves you, but really, it doesn't, so please, leave me alone, Pansy." Draco added in. "As for the way I'm acting, what's it to _you_?"

Pansy gasped in disgust.

"I'm just trying to look out for a friend, but if you don't need any help, fine. As for this _girl _you're talking about, I will find out who it is sooner or later. Hmmph!" She stuck her nose up, and stormed away. Crabbe and Goyle turned back to Draco, after watching Pansy Parkinson pout and walk away.

"Look, Draco, if you don't go talk to her,_ I_ will. I don't like seeing you pissed off, and I definitely don't like seeing _her _pissed off." Crabbe threatened him. Draco jumped in horror.

"Are you _mad_? I can't imagine what someone like _you _will say to her! You're probably going to say that I've completely _fallen_ for her! When the time comes, I will talk to her _myself_. I don't need a messenger boy going back and forth, that just makes me look like a_ coward._"

"Not trying to be pushy or anything, Draco, but either way, you're a coward by not talking to her."

Draco stood up off the bench immediately.

"What did you just say? You think I'm a coward, do you? Fine! I'll go over to her right now!" He shouted. He got out of the bench, and calmly walked over to Scarlet. He sighed heavily before she noticed he was nearby, and continued walking.

What Draco didn't know was that Pansy Parkinson was still keeping an eye on him from a far distance, arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground. 'That didn't take long at all!' She thought. 'So he's after the princess…That explains why he was fine on the train before we arrived yesterday…"

Draco continued to walk towards Scarlet (the tables are very long). Moments later, Scarlet had a tight feeling in her stomach, thinking he was nearby. She feared to look up, but she did anyways, and sure enough, he was there. All of the boys that were surrounding her were now gone. He sat across the table from her, hesitating what to say to her.

"Should I ask why you came over here?" Scarlet asked angrily.

"No" Draco replied "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Fine. Continue."

"I…I just wanted to say that I was sorry, coming from me that's a big deal."

"I know it is, that's why I'm impressed right now. What's wrong? Too much humiliation?" She joked. Draco went red in the face.

"Easy now, I was only kidding. So, can we start over?"

Malfoy just sat there, and gave a small laugh.

"You have no idea how embarrassing this is for me."

"Is there something wrong with making female friends? It must not have been seeing as though you have Pansy Parkinson," she looked up "who is giving us the death stare right now. She doesn't look too happy with you. However, if I understand this correctly, has she not been crushing on you since you were first-years? If anything, I think she is jealous of me."

Draco didn't bother turning around to get a glimpse of her, he knew that this was her typical behavior.

"No, it's just that you're…_different_. You're not like every other girl here at Hogwarts. You're famous, your father is the greatest wizard in history, you're extremely smart, unlike any other Slytherin I've met, you're…well…good-looking-"

"Stop right there. Where are you going with this exactly?"

Draco put his head down on the table.

"This isn't working the way I had hoped."

"Seriously, I'm flattered, really. Just be honest, I really don't want to fight anymore. This better not be because I'm going to serve your ass to you on a silver platter at tryouts."

Draco looked around. 'This is not the place I would like to be talking about this…' He thought.

Scarlet looked around with him, curious about his unusual behavior.

"Are you sure you're alright? We don't have to do this now if you're not up for it." She looked at the large clock at the side of the Great Hall. "Shoot! We have to go! We're going to be late for tryouts!"

"Relax, I'm the captain of the team."

"I don't care! If we both arrive at the same time, _late_, everyone is going to think we've got something going on!" She blurted out, and ran off. Draco sighed.

"So much for _that_ idea."

"What did you do now?" Crabbe piped in. "You made it worse, didn't you?"

"No, _actually_, we were getting somewhere, but she realized what time it was and she took off to tryouts." Draco replied.

"Sorry, Draco, you're on your own for now, we're not on the team. Have fun getting your ass kicked! See you in Herbology!"

"Yes, thank you, you could have shown a sliver of support at least."


	9. New Quidditch Captain

Chapter Nine

"Where's Malfoy? He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago!"

"He is never _this _late!"

"I guess he got caught up with something." Scarlet piped in, walking over to the group of mostly tall, built Slytherin boys. They all laughed.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but are you here for tryouts?" A dark boy asked.

Scarlet crossed her arms.

"Yes, actually, I am, and I don't know what it is with you _men_, but there was never a rule saying that females could not join the team."

They looked at both of her arms, which were empty.

"Where is your broomstick, then?

Scarlet held out her arm to the sky, and a few seconds later, a dark brown broomstick with golden bristles came flying around one of the towers and landed in her hand.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked angrily, looking around at all of the awestruck boys.

"Is that-"

"No way!"

"How did you-?"

"Yes, that is right, it is a brand new Nimbus 2006. If you are wondering where I got this _lovely _broomstick, I get the first model from Mr. Nimbus _himself _before they even go into stock every year. Goes to show what money can get, this didn't cost me a _single_ Knut."

"Ouch, Malfoy's lucky he didn't hear _that_ one!"

"Who said I didn't?" Malfoy shouted from a distance, ignoring the comment.

"About time you got here! What kept you?"

"What does that matter? I'm here now, aren't I?" Draco snapped, looking over to Scarlet for a split second, winked at her, and looked away. "So, what did everyone come here to play this year?"

"Um…Draco…There's no new players, other than Princess Scarlet…"

"But to answer your question, Mr. Malfoy, I would like to try out for the Seeker position. That isn't too much trouble, is it?" Scarlet replied cheerfully with her arms crossed and her left brow raised.

All of the boys broke into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I took you for the serious type, but you are one funny girl!"

"Good luck with that one, Your Highness!"

"Malfoy's the best Seeker we've had for years!"

"Yes, I find it funny that you thought I was joking. Are you all afraid that I might take his place?"

The whole team fell silent.

"Absolutely not, Your Highness, but what-"

"But we will just have to watch and learn, that's what." Malfoy concluded. "That's enough. She thinks she can do better than me, let's go, then! Flint, get the Snitch."

Marcus Flint came stumbling over with a large and seemingly heavy chest. He opened it up, and inside were three holes, a large one in the middle, and two smaller ones on either side of it. On the lid of the chest, there was two small doors that were closed shut. He opened the small doors, and inside was a tiny golden ball. He took the ball out of its socket and held it gently in his gloved hands.

"You know what to do, I assume?" Malfoy asked Scarlet.

"Of course I do! I'm not_ dumb_, you know. Catch the Snitch, winner gets the Seeker position. Pretty straightforward, if you ask me."

"All right, then, let's get this over and done with. Other than that, I guess we keep the team the same this year. Flint, release the Snitch." Malfoy commanded, and Flint obeyed

The moment that Flint released the Snitch from his hand, it expanded its wings and took off. Malfoy mounted his broom, waiting for Scarlet to mount, but before he could turn to face her, she was standing on her broom as if it were flat ground. The group of boys was wide eyed. 'Yes, if they had any knowledge about Quidditch at all, they would know that the only Quidditch player that can stand on his broom, other than myself, is Viktor Krum, one of, if not the best, Quidditch players in the world.'

Malfoy turned to face Scarlet, horrified that this would be the most humiliating moment of his education.

"You ready?"

"I was before _you_." Scarlet laughed.

"On the count of three," Marcus Flint began. "One…two…thr-"

Scarlet rocketed away from the crowd on her top of the line broom, leaving Draco Malfoy in the dust. Malfoy didn't even bother accelerating after the huge takeoff. The team looked at him.

"I'm sorry, captain, but you have no chance."

"I know, I was afraid this was going to happen." Draco agreed. "Think of it this way though, we are probably never going to lose a game with her on the team!"

Scarlet turned around and spotted Draco Malfoy still on the ground. She laughed hysterically.

"Well? Are you coming, or are you going to give up and ruin my fun?" She called out.

"She wants fun, I'll give her fun, I'm off!" Draco laughed, and took off towards her.

"Now that's more like it! Let's go! WOOHOO!" Scarlet yelled at the top of her lungs. She waited for Malfoy to be level with her. Once he caught up, she laughed.

"You see it? The Snitch?" Scarlet called out. Draco looked around, and shook his head.

"That's too bad, because I do! See you later!" She yelled, and took off once again, chasing after the Snitch that Draco still could not see. He smiled and looked at her in a different perspective. 'She sure likes Quidditch…She's amazing! Look at her go…Well, there goes being captain.' He thought.

Moments later, Scarlet came back over, Snitch in hand. She felt awkward because Draco was sitting there, staring at her with a sincere expression.

"What? Don't say I didn't warn you beforehand! Seriously, though…Why are you looking at me like that? Are we finally going to be friends? Is this what you've been waiting for this whole time?"

Draco nodded his head silently, face red.

"Aww, don't be like that. If we were on the ground, I'd hug you."

"Maybe later, not in front of everyone…Want to hang out later or something?" Draco asked nervously.

"That's fine with me." Scarlet answered happily. "Dinner would be great. By the way, are your little henchmen Crabbe and Goyle in on this?"

"Do you want the truth?" Draco asked.

"That would be nice." Scarlet replied.

"If it wasn't for Crabbe and Goyle, we would still be fighting, and I would have never sat down with you at the end of lunch. Crabbe was going to talk to you, but I didn't trust him, so I came over myself, and I'm kind of glad that I did."

Tears came to Scarlet's eyes.

"Oh, stop, you're making me tear up."

"We better get back down on the ground before people catch on." Draco suggested.

"Good idea, let's go." Scarlet agreed, and they both descended.

Once they were back on the ground, they were surrounded by clapping team members.

"Do we really need to ask who our Seeker is?" Flint asked.

"No, that would be a waste of breath." Malfoy answered. "There you have it, we have our team. Great to have you, Your Highness." He held out his hand, and she shook it respectfully. Draco felt a strange feeling go through him when they touched, but he kept to himself and carried on with the rest of the day.


	10. Dark Secrets

Chapter Ten

At the end of the day, both Scarlet and Draco were relieved to not be fighting anymore. Scarlet was waiting in the Great Hall to meet up with Draco for supper. Crabbe and Goyle noticed her sitting alone once again, so they both accompanied her.

"Why are you here all by yourself? Aren't you and Draco done fighting?" Crabbe asked her.

"I'm waiting for him, he was supposed to meet with me for supper, but I guess I beat him to it, but to answer your question, yes, we are done fighting. Do either of you have any idea where he may be?" Scarlet asked.

Both Crabbe and Goyle shook their head.

"This may be irrelevant, but how was tryouts?" Goyle asked.

"They went well, for me, anyways. I am the new Slytherin Seeker."

"Figured as much, I didn't think you were bluffing when you told Draco off this morning."

"I would never do such a thing, that would not be proper of me. Was that the answer you were looking for, or were you trying to get me to tell you how we made up?"

"Partially, yes, but you don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

Scarlet laughed.

"Well, at least _you_ two aren't nosy.

Malfoy sat down, panting for breath.

"I am terribly sorry for being late, Your Highness. I was being teased by the team, and it was rather difficult to get away."

"When you say you were teased, was it about you not being Seeker anymore, or was it about something else that I dare not say? Please, just call me Scarlet, I couldn't care less if people called me by what I was anymore." Scarlet asked, concerned.

"The first one." Draco answered.

"That's a relief."

The group sat there for a few moments, until Malfoy noticed that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were walking towards them.

"Oh, please, not now…" Draco moaned.

Harry and Ron stopped in front of Scarlet.

"Congratulations on becoming the new Slytherin Seeker, Princess! I seriously thought you were joking around when you mentioned that you were actually going to try out. Maybe we will have some competition this year." Harry joked.

"Now just what was _that_ supposed to mean, Potter? We were bloody _close_ to winning against you last year, if your_ bumbling_ team hadn't busted our Keeper's leg!" Malfoy interfered. "And you really had to tell her that _now_? We were just starting to get into an important conversation!"

"Busted." Scarlet sighed heavily.

Harry and Ron looked over to Scarlet after her remark and gave her raised eyebrows.

"Goodness, I hope it wasn't _too_ important" Ron piped in. "It's only the second day, you know, you have all year for _that._"

"We weren't discussing _that _you spineless, nosy git! Pardon my French, but it was most certainly called for!" Scarlet snapped back.

"Why you-" Ron started, lunging toward Scarlet, but held himself back from Scarlet's wand point.

"Try me, I dare you." Scarlet threatened. "And this won't be the last of me if you keep it up. Now, _go, _before I conjure the largest spider you will ever see in your life."

Ron ran away so fast that he tripped over his Gryffindor robe, with Harry following him. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all watched the two of them take off for a few moments, laughed at the sight of Ron falling over, then turned back to look at Scarlet, jaws dropped. Scarlet curled her lip upwards in the form of a smirk.

"Out of the five years that I've seen the three of you fight those two, along with Granger, I don't think _any _of you had the spine to do _that_. Actually, come to think about it, you got a punch to the face, didn't you Draco?"

"Yes, that's another thing I wanted to ask you." Draco jumped in. "How do you know all of us? You said you know all of the sixth-years, why are we so significant?"

"I'm the same age as all of you, I'm sixteen too. However, I never got to experience what you guys did. When I was eleven, I never got to be a student at Hogwarts. So, I envied you."

"So, where have you been all of this time? Why have we never seen you before?"

Scarlet hesitated, it was difficult to explain.

"Have you ever tried going to the very top of the Staircase Tower?"

The three boys all looked at each other, wondering why they have never done such thing before out of the entire five years that they have been at Hogwarts.

"I wouldn't try it, if I were you. However, now that I know who you three are, I guess it would be easy for you to find me. Anyways, that's where my room is. The reason I asked if you have ever tried going up there, because if you have, you would have most likely been held back by an intangible force."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'intangible force'?"

"A barrier. One that only I can allow people to penetrate." Scarlet continued.

"That sounds brilliant! I need to get me one of those!" Goyle exclaimed.

"And, after I let you through the barrier, I have a portrait with a password, just like the Common Rooms."

"Basically it's just doubled up security." Malfoy added.

"Basically. Anyways, I feel rather strange talking about where my room is, can we please change the subject?" Scarlet suggested.

Malfoy went red in the face, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Scarlet, I didn't mean to discomfort you."

"It's alright, I just, didn't want to end up with you coming to see me, or at least try to come see me later." Scarlet told him politely. She had an urge to talk to Draco alone, but she didn't want to give her position away.

Moments later, dinner appeared on every plate in the Great Hall. Scarlet looked to the front, where her father was sitting in the center of the table where all of the teachers sat. When she locked eyes, Albus Dumbledore was looking straight back at her. She could barely notice that he turned his eyes to look at Draco, but enough to tell what he was trying to tell her. He gave her a grin, and raised his goblet. Scarlet followed the motion, and took a sip of what seemed to be pumpkin juice, one of her favourites. Draco looked over to see what she was doing, and couldn't quite catch on. Scarlet noticed that he was watching with a puzzled look on his face, so she jerked her head towards her father to show him what she meant, and he simply nodded and turned back to his dinner. He felt awkward now that Albus Dumbledore knew that Draco and his daughter were friends.

Without any hesitation, they began to eat supper. There was a large variety to choose from: stuffed turkey, chicken, steak, with sides such as potatoes, vegetables and rice. Draco wasn't surprised that Scarlet stuck to vegetables for the majority of her meal, as she looked very healthy. He simply laughed at how determined she was to remain as slender as possible, and told her that she looked fine either way. She was rather flattered by his compliment, so she decided to go straight to dessert. Crabbe and Goyle were already halfway through their dessert plates of assorted cakes ad tarts. Scarlet had second thoughts about dessert as she watched the two of them attack their food, hoping that if she had a single bite of pie that she wouldn't get too carried away like Crabbe and Goyle judging by the size of them. She looked over to Draco, who was also eating a fresh slice of apple pie. She didn't want to take the chance of beginning a new craving, but she didn't want to feel left out either. 'If Draco has pie and he looks fine the way he is, then I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a nibble…' She thought. She put the thought behind her, and she began to eat a piece of apple pie, along with Draco. It took her longer than the average person to finish it, but she was satisfied. Draco then promised her that nothing would happen to her figure after supper, and she took him up on it, which made her feel better about herself.

When supper was over, and Crabbe and Goyle were long gone, Scarlet wanted to do something with Draco, to make sure that they were still happy with their new friendship. She offered to go to the Common Room to help him with his studies by the fireplace, and he accepted willingly (he needed to catch up on the day's work, as he was spending too much time focusing on things other than Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he also thought that the fireplace was a very cozy place to be around for times like his, however, he did not take the time to tell this to Scarlet). So, off they went.

When they arrived at the Slytherin Common Room together, all eyes turned towards them. Scarlet breathed heavily, as she thought that being watched was very annoying. Malfoy caught on to her reasoning, and gave everyone around them a death stare, which made them all frightened enough to leave the two of them alone. They found an empty sofa next to the fireplace, and sat down. Draco pulled out his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, and turned to the chapter on Occlumency, after Scarlet told him what page it was, even though she did not have a textbook to remember the number. Draco then realized that he was very skilled in the art of Occlumency, but he did not take the time to tell Scarlet that the reason he was so skilled at this particular subject was because the majority of his family was Death Eaters. He then feared the moment that he would have to tell her, should their relationship go any further than where it is now, and then wondered if she already knew. He glared down at the page for several moments, pondering on the thought, until Scarlet asked him if he was alright, where he then looked up into her solid green eyes in silence, and nodded. At that very moment, she knew that she had made him uncomfortable, thinking that she may have known the reason why, which she knew exactly, because she knew him very well.

"Am I intruding too much, Draco?"

He continued to stare down at the page in his textbook, resisting the urge to latch onto her to make himself feel better, because he didn't want to make her think that he was weak. Instead, he took a deep breath and looked back up to her beautiful face.

"I'm terribly sorry, Scarlet, I didn't mean for this to turn out this way, right now I'm a little…sidetracked." He said quietly. Scarlet thought about what she should say, without hurting him inside even more. Instead, she got up off the couch and closed his textbook.

"It's getting late. Try to get some rest, I think it will make you feel better. Can you do that for me?"

Draco nodded quietly.

"Good night, Scarlet." He blurted out. Scarlet smiled.

"Good night, Draco." She called back, and walked towards the exit. As she was about to leave, Crabbe and Goyle passed her, wondering why she looked upset,

"Draco isn't in the greatest mood right now, so I told him to get some rest, and left him alone for the night."

"Don't worry, Your Highness, we'll help him feel better by tomorrow." Goyle assured her.

"Thank you, that makes me feel a lot better."

"Do you have any idea why he's upset?"

" I know exactly why, but I don't think that he knows that I know, so to say."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other, and nodded.

"Anyways, you two, enjoy the rest of your night, I'm off to bed myself. Good night."

"Good night, Your Highness." They both said together, and carried on to find Draco, who was still sitting on the sofa, this time he was staring into the firepit.


	11. The Ultimate Conflict

Chapter Eleven

"Draco, are you alright?" Crabbe asked. "Scarlet said that you didn't seem well"

"That's because I'm not." Draco replied.

Crabbe and Goyle sighed.

"Is this because of the thing you explained on the train?" Goyle continued. Draco nodded in response.

"If Scarlet knew about it, I'm sure she wouldn't have even bothered with us, I'm sure you would say the same, yes?" he retorted.

Crabbe nodded.

"Well, Draco, you have to admit, she would have a good reason to come after you if she _did_ know, you couldn't possibly expect her to take something like that lightly, would you?-"

"But I don't have a choice!" Malfoy shouted "Do you know what will happen if I don't complete this task? He will come after my family!"

'Such a mommy's boy…'

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other seemingly thinking the same thought.

"Looks like you're stuck, then!" Goyle concluded. "You realize that you're going to have to make a choice, don't you? It's either her, or your family. Besides, she's barely even friends with us, well, you, anyways."

Draco clenched his fists together.

"So what? I barely have any friends here!" Draco exclaimed. At that moment, Crabbe rolled his eyes with an 'I wonder why?' expression. Draco gave him a death stare, as he noticed Crabbe's attitude, making him coward back into the couch.

"She is one of the only people at Hogwarts who _isn't _scared of us! I would try to make the best of it, wouldn't you?

"So what are you going to do then?" Crabbe shouted at him, not caring if there was anyone still left eavesdropping in on them in the Common Room. "Just play with her innocent mind until the time comes? Stop complaining! You got yourself into this mess, you can make the decision to get yourself out of it!"

Draco didn't want to admit it, but what Crabbe was telling him was exactly what seemed that he needed to do, what he was going to have to do if he still wanted to be friends with Scarlet. He felt that she was one of the only people who would look at his side of things, rather than that innocent _Potter's _side. He knew just from the way Scarlet threatened Ron Weasley that she didn't seem very fond of the famous trio. Draco found every minute of Ron running away amusing to him. The best of it all, was that Scarlet even pointed out to him that he hasn't done anything serious to them in the entire five years that he knew the three of them. She had the guts, he gave her that, but the knowledge that she had stacked in her brain was extraordinary, compared to him. How did she possibly know that he hated spiders? How did she know that last year's Quidditch championship game was a tie between Slytherin and Gryffindor? To top it off, how did she know who he was, let alone his family and his personality? She had mentioned envy, but that doesn't explain how she was able to find out that much information about him without being noticed by anyone! He had many questions that he wanted to ask her, but he was worried that she might ask questions to him in return if he did. Did she already know that his family tree goes back generations of Death Eaters? He was especially afraid to ask that question, because he feared that an entire conversation would rise from the subject of the Dark Lord.

"If that's the way you think of it, then yes." Draco answered conclusively.

Crabbe shook his head in disappointment.

"You're going to be in for a rude awakening, then. When she finds out, you're definitely in for it, Draco, remember that." He informed him.

"I know, that's what I am afraid of" Draco simply replied. "Until then, I'm just going to have to 'Ride the Lightning', as Muggles say."

Crabbe and Goyle's eyes widened at the word 'Muggle', completely stunned by the fact that someone like Draco Malfoy would make a reference to Muggles.

"What?"

"You're going soft, Draco. You're family will be disappointed with you, if you decide to make your decision that way, anyways."

"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm on their side! Are you mad? Really, _Muggles_? Has something gotten into you or something?"

"Might I ask you the same thing! _You're _the one who said the phrase, not me."

"Why are we even discussing this? It's getting late, we need to go to bed." Draco hissed, and began heading for the dormitories. Once Draco was out of Crabbe and Goyle's sound range, they laughed hysterically, finding Draco's defense strategies zero to none. He may be tough, but he had nothing to back him up!

After Crabbe and Goyle were finished with their moment of amusement, they went up to the dormitories as well, then went to bed.


	12. The Turnaround

Chapter Twelve

A week passed since the pressured argument between Draco and Crabbe and Goyle. Every day still consisted of the same old classes, where Scarlet sat aimlessly at her work station, bored out of her mind's capacity. She couldn't think of another time where she was that bored. There was nothing new to her that was taught in class. She knew Potions, she knew Herbology, and she especially knew Defense Against the Dark Arts, a subject that she seemed to major in unknowingly. The professors got to the point of begging her to remain in class, except for Professor Snape, who simply assured her that classes will eventually become more interesting as the year went on, in hope that she wouldn't drop out of the course and disappoint her father, even though she already knew everything. Scarlet simply found their efforts quite amusing, so she continued to show up to class for the main purpose of the amusement of the professors' entertainment.

As for Draco, as class progressed into the independent work time, he kept a close eye on Scarlet, even though she remained stationery at her desk. Throughout the day, he still acted the way that Scarlet would consider his usual self, or his _new _usual self since they had met. He was either already finished, or hasn't even bothered to attempt his homework, knowing that Scarlet would most likely lend him a helping hand later on. He was thankful for this, as he didn't need to pay her to help him do his work, or practically do it for him. Nonetheless, he tried his best to remain a friend to her to the best of his ability, but he then realized that he was not brought up to a family of kindness, but to a family of selfishness and cold hearts. Scarlet continued to gladly accept his offers to meet after class, even though she still thought it was rather something strange of Draco Malfoy to ask, after what had happened the week before, but she was unaware of the conversation that she was not present for. She hoped that associating with him would not turn out the way it did the week before, where Draco seemed to have a spontaneous surge of depression, which she knew does not arise in Draco Malfoy very often, based on his past. Luckily, for the past week, their meetings were that way at all, and she was rather relieved that Draco did not seem even the slightest depressed, yet internally suspicious. She knew that when Draco Malfoy was disturbed, that it does not take just a bit of socialization to cheer him up, and, if that she actually and truly cheered him up, would prove that he sees more in her than just a friend. She insisted that that was _not_ the case, and decided not to think of the situation that way.

On that Friday, the last day of school before the weekend break, the group of them passed by Professor Slughorn on the way to dinner, who attempted to press Scarlet from moving on, and somehow succeeded in doing so.

"Oh, hello, Miss Scarlet!" he rejoiced. Scarlet gave her usual cheery but fake smile.

"Hello, Professor," she replied "how are you this fine evening?"

"Oh, the usual," Slughorn answered modestly. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were more than annoyed with her seemingly formal conversations with the higher authority, as none of them were much with words, or kind ones, anyways. They all decided to sneak away, in hope that they wouldn't be brought into the conversation. Slughorn leaned on the palms of his feet. "Actually, I wanted to invite you to my upcoming dinner party!" he continued with an attempt of a persuasive tone. Scarlet tilted her head, trying to predict how the occasion would carry out in anxiety. Slughorn held up a finger as-a-matter-of-factly. "Only _selected_ students are invited, my dear, you will be joined tomorrow by people, say, of your own kind." He joked. Scarlet laughed generously, knowing that the professors at Hogwarts were not the humourous type, for the most part, with the exception of Professor McGonagall's amusing use of sarcasm. As royalty, she knew it was only proper to be involved with the community, regardless of what might happen. So, she replied with a cheerful "I'd love to go, Professor, I shall see you tomorrow then." She tried to be optimistic by thinking that it was indeed a good opportunity to get to be acquainted with some of the more academically-oriented students at Hogwarts.

After the formal invitation, she came back to reality and noticed that she was left alone, so she decided to attempt to catch up with the group, who were very curious about why he had wanted to speak with her. Scarlet sighed when they gained the courage to ask.

"Oh, just school stuff, no need to worry about me, my education doesn't need to involve you guys, you already have enough on your plate." She answered. 'Yeah, no kidding', Draco thought to himself, which suddenly put him in a rotten mood that he tried his best not to show. Like she said, he already had enough to deal with, and explaining his circumstances would only make it worse. He shortly after decided to put the subject behind him.

As they finally arrived at the Great Hall, they sat down at their usual section of the long table, and was welcomed by a large hog roast, along with various healthy choices which Scarlet was thankful for, and of course, a large section of sweets and candies. Scarlet, as usual, helped herself to a large plate of vegetables with a small portion of the roast. Crabbe, Goyle and Draco all exchanged their "of course" expressions with not even the slightest sight of surprise with her choices. Scarlet raised an eyebrow.

"We're not going to get into _this _again, are we?" Scarlet asked irritably. They all shrugged.

"You know, you could treat yourself once in a while!" Goyle suggested to her. Scarlet looked up after a decent swallow of mixed legumes and crossed her arms.

"And who are_ you_ to tell_ me _what to eat?" she snapped, with the intention of a mean joke. Draco laughed, agreeing with Scarlet, knowing exactly where she was coming from; a high authority.

"She won, give it up, Goyle." He informed him, who was now tense and red in the face. Scarlet laughed.

"Easy now, I was only joking. Let's not get too worked up about it. But I must say, I find it hilarious when people are scared of me, the thing is, I think it's mainly because I hang around with you guys that gives them a scare, not me." She paused, taking another bite of her food "And for your information, I _do_ treat myself now and then, I just don't overindulge on sweets."

Draco decided to take her side for the entire time, until she spoke about treating herself, which he doubted was true, seeing as the only time she did have a tasty treat was the first day of classes.

"Oh, really?" he challenged. "Since when?"

"I have for a very long time. Like I said, I just don't use sweets as my method of treatment. But if it really bothers you, then I guess I could have just an apple tart."

"That's right," Crabbe encouraged her "you can eat some _good_ food for a change! Don't be so hard on yourself!"

Scarlet peered through the silver tray of sweets and picked out the seemingly smallest of what was left of the apple tarts. Just when they thought she had given in, Scarlet disappointed them with a stunt like that, but they just sighed heavily and carried on with the night while she slowly sunk her teeth into her sugary treat. She closed her eyes at the delicious touch of runny apple filling on her tongue.

"Good, isn't it?" Draco teased. She simply answered with a nod of her head, as her mouth was full. She swallowed, defeated.

"Happy now?" she groaned. The boys all nodded, and gave each other an exchange of high fives. Scarlet found it funny that even the tough kids could loosen up.


	13. The Bribe

Chapter Thirteen

Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor Table, Ron and Harry were watching the group of them from the comfort of their dining area. Ron smirked in disgust.

"_She _seems to be enjoying herself." He spoke out sarcastically. Hermione growled

"Oh, will you just grow up, Ron?" she whined. "It's not like she's on _your _good side, or at least _you're _not on hers."

"Still, anyone who's a friend of Malfoy's must be pretty damn slick." He replied defensively. "I don't understand what she sees in him."

"More like what _he _sees in _her._" Harry corrected him. Hermione managed a laugh.

"Oh, please!" she joked. "You think _Malfoy _is actually interested in someone other than _himself _or his pathetic _family_? Get some logic!"

At that moment, Harry felt a tap on his left shoulder. He looked up instinctively to see none other than the tiny and aggressive Pansy Parkinson.

"You see them, too, do you?" she groaned in disgust.

"Yeah, but what does it matter to you?" Ron replied. "Oh yeah, I forgot, he's your _boyfriend_. You jealous?" he teased. She growled in anger, but managed to contain herself.

"Maybe a tad." She admitted painfully "But I'm willing to make a deal with you." She sneered. "You up for it?"

Hermione laughed hysterically.

"What foolish mind would make a deal with someone like you?" she laughed. "You're just manipulative and sneaky and in it for yourself!"

"What's the catch?" Harry surprisingly asked. Ron and Hermione were shocked.

"I want _you_ to break _her._" She answered sinisterly. Harry knew who she was referring to: Scarlet. Harry laughed himself.

"Now _why _would I do _that?_" Harry asked furiously. "Are you trying to get me expelled?"

"Better you than me." Pansy replied heartlessly. "That's not what I'm willing to offer. Thirty galleons."

"I have more than enough money, thank you." Harry replied stubbornly.

"Fine, then." She snapped, and then a large and evil grin spread across her lips. "I'll be willing to tell you what Draco is scheming up right now, because I just so happened to be sitting next to him on the train when he discussed it."

Harry looked back at Ron, then Hermione, with a concerned expression. 'This might be important…' he thought to himself, while at the same time, he knew that he was going to pay for it later.

"Alright, I'm in. So, what's your brilliant plan?"

"What are you asking _me _for? You're the one doing it!" she snapped angrily. "but now that I think about it, the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor is coming up, and guess who just so happens to be your challenge for the Snitch?"

"Princess Scarlet." Harry answered in disappointment.

"That's right. _So,_" she emphasized. "Not _only_ do you get Draco's latest plan, but you get a hundred and fifty house points. There's no reason to back down!"

"Good point, but that's providing that you keep _your _end of the deal."

"I'm sure I want her injured more than you do, _Potter._ She just needs to be in the infirmary long enough for Draco to give up on her. That's all I'm asking."

"You make it seem like it's no big deal." Ron replied.

"That's because in my eyes, other people's pain doesn't concern me. Like Granger said, I'm in it for myself."

"Yes, but regardless of what you are, there is still some flaws in your little plan. Clearly you didn't give it much thought, not like many criminals do, mind you."

"And just what are those flaws?" Pansy retorted. Hermione smiled, as logic is what she knew best.

"Number one, Princess Scarlet is a _fabulous_ Quidditch player. It won't take a simple hit to knock her off her broom and into the infirmary. Not to mention, she has a _Nimbus 2006,_ which is a far cry from Harry's Firebolt-"

"Hey!" Harry interrupted. "It's fast enough!"

Hermione ignored his remark. "Anyways, moving on. Number two, a little shove to the side is not going to knock her off her broom, you're going to need a stronger force than that, possibly a rogue Bludger like Harry encountered that broke his arm in Second Year."

"That's a great idea!" Ron burst out with intense sarcasm "_Kill_ the princess and we all get expelled!" he paused. "Have you seen how fragile she is? She has _twigs _for _bones_!" Everyone remained silent, so he slumped back in his seat and gave up. "At least _I _care about my education."

"Alright, _both _of them will be hexed, then." Pansy added on snootily.

"Is that it, then?" Harry asked impatiently, knowing that the people around him could obviously see the group of them having a discussion, which they don't usually do with Pansy Parkinson.

"That should do, yes." Pansy gave a small cheerful reply, then held up a finger "You better keep _your _end of the deal, or you're going to be put before little miss princess over there on my Hit List!"

"Oooh, we're so scared, look at us! We're trembling." Ron shot back.

"Shut up, _Weasley_." She returned. She looked back over to Harry "I mean it_, no backing out._" She warned him, and walked away. After she was out of sound reach, Ron spoke out again.

"Who does she think she is, getting you to do her dirty work for her?"

"Think about it, Ron, it may be for a good price." Hermione suggested.

"We'll find out soon enough…"


	14. The Unusual Aquaintance

Chapter Fourteen

Satisfied with her agreement with Harry, she approached the Slytherin Table, particularly to the area of the table where Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Scarlet were sitting and waiting for the meal to be finished, and engaging in small conversation. Once Pansy was directly in front of them, Scarlet looked up to greet her, unsure of exactly what the purpose of her presence was supposed to be. Regardless, she smiled a cheerful smile, and greeted her in a content tone.

"Why, hello, Miss Parkinson! Are you having a good evening so far?" Scarlet asked curtly. Pansy gave a surprising cheerful return.

"It's been _dismal,_ Your Highness," she replied emphatically "but please, tell me about yours? How are you enjoying Hogwarts?"

Scarlet laughed.

"It's nothing new to me, I've been here all my life, so, to be honest, it's rather quite bland, if you ask me. I hope that doesn't change your opinion." She replied, referring to Pansy's personal dread of Hogwarts, but without any sarcasm to hint that she was. "Everything that I'm in is things that I have already learned and mastered."

Pansy gave another surprising remark by laughing cheerfully. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were quite confused with this.

"Well, you _are _the daughter of Albus Dumbeldore! It doesn't get any better than that, does it now!" she joked sarcastically, with a hint of jealousy and hate. Draco gave Crabbe and Goyle a 'What's up with her?' expression. They both shrugged their shoulders, wondering the exact same thing. Pansy noticed their questioning expressions, but ignored them. Scarlet sighed.

"No, I guess it doesn't, but one can only wonder…" she trailed off curiously, thinking of the Dark Lord in the back of her head. Pansy simply shrugged at this, then held up a finger assuringly.

"I'm sure you're looking up to your first in-house Quidditch game!" Pansy replied optimistically. "Going to finally get revenge for last year, I hope?"

Scarlet laughed hysterically, with a touch of sinister attitude. "But of course!" she replied cheerfully. "I simply couldn't stand watching that Championship Match last year! In fact, I was rather surprised that it was Slytherin that received an injury, rather than Gryffindor! Normally, we would be on top of such things. But I cannot change the past, or at least not yet."

"You watched the game?" Pansy asked her curiously.

"Oh yes, I have a lovely view of the Quidditch Pitch from my library window, I saw every minute of it, yes." Scarlet informed her. "But to answer your initial question, Miss Parkinson, I won't be holding back simply because we are students!" She gave a short laugh. "I've met Quidditch players from across the world, even Viktor Krum, from whom I learned to stand on a broomstick, much like Muggles do on their so-called 'skateboards'. Might I add that it is much more amusing than sitting, mind you."

Pansy nodded her head in silence, running through her diabolical plan in her head as Scarlet spoke. She crossed her arms, impressed by Scarlet.

"Well, you seem confident, I will leave you to your dessert, then." She looked over at the three boys who were avoiding eye contact with her for the entire conversation. "Good night." She concluded, then left the group alone. Scarlet looked back to the three of them, and ducked her head close to the table, to assure she was secretive.

"If I were to say anything, I would say that Pansy was not her normal self just then."

They all nodded in suspicion.

"I know how she is, and that was not like her at all. I suspect that she may be up to something." Scarlet continued. They all agreed. Draco thought that he had an idea of what it may have been that she may be planning. "I guess I should really watch my back, then." She spoke up. "Judging by her spontaneous interest in Quidditch, I would say that trouble is heading my way sooner than I may think."

They all nodded silently again, got up from the table, and left the Great Hall for the Slytherin Common Room.

Once they arrived in the Common Room, Scarlet helped Draco, Crabbe and Goyle with any problems that they had about the day's homework out of sheer boredom. It was apparent that the day's Potions class seemed to cause some discrepancy with the textbook instructions.

"The book says to use _twelve _beans, _not _thirteen!" Goyle tried to argue against Scarlet.

"That may be true, but the book only says _twelve_ because you don't need another _whole _bean, it only needs another three-quarters of another bean." She defended.

"And _where _in the book does it say that exactly?"

"It doesn't, I just know from my own experiences." She replied. "If you want the politically correct amount, you would need thirteen beans." She gave a small laugh. "I wouldn't have had a fresh brew of Liquid Death blow up in my face if I had known then. No, I learned the hard way, which is sometimes the best way to learn." She told them as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Fair enough." Draco spoke out. "But how did you get the juice out of them? Cutting them was next to impossible!"

"You crush them, _then _you cut them." Scarlet answered.

"The book doesn't say-"

"_Forget _about the book for a moment!" Scarlet interrupted, as she was evidently annoyed with trying to be corrected. "he asked how _I _did it, so I told you how _I _did it. The textbook doesn't give you the logic behind the process, it expects you to think for yourselves!" she replied. "You're _sixth-years_, you should be more than capable of thinking rationally!"

"Well I'm sorry, Your Highness, we must not have as much experience as you." Crabbe sneered.

"That's just fine, but you have to think for yourselves and not be so lazy all of the time! You can't expect to attempt something and get it right the first time around! That's why mistakes are considered learning experiences."

"So we're supposed to let it blow up in our faces in order for us to learn?"

"One might say so, but you needn't worry about that, because I just gave you the correct answer." She pointed out.

"Alright, be it resolved." Draco spoke out once again. "Can we _please _stop arguing about something as pointless as Potions?" he asked impatiently.

"I second the motion." Scarlet agreed. "It is only Potions after all. All I can say is, make use of the teachers, they can be helpful, regardless of what you may think."

"Now _you_ sound like a teacher." Goyle replied stubbornly. Scarlet yawned, then looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

"It's getting quite late. Unlike you three, I sleep elsewhere, so I should really get going. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, then." Draco replied as nicely as he could, to show that he was still, indeed, her friend as she left the Common Room.


	15. Overthinking a Little

**A.N: **So far, so good! I have not received any negative feedback from readers, which must mean that I am doing a fairly good job with this Fanfic. That, or no one is reading it, but I'm fine with both. I am glad, because I don't want this one to turn out like my previous one, which was deleted due to fatal errors in my writing, in that case, self-insert. I am trying not to do such things with this one, which seems to be working for now, so I will continue to write in the current format. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

Rather than simply Apparating to the top of the Staircase Tower where her room was, Scarlet decided to take the long way, so she could burn off the remaining energy from the apple tart that she was talked into eating earlier that night. She sighed as she approached the first set of stairs.

"I don't care what those guys say, sweets aren't good for your health, regardless of their taste…" she trailed off. But she did have to admit, it did taste good at the moment she sunk her pearly white teeth into it. She shook her head furiously, upset with herself. "What am I thinking?" she asked herself frantically. "Snap out of it!" She concluded her thoughts, and progressed up the first set of stairs without another word from her conscience.

The events that occurred earlier that night still troubled her, in a way that she could not seem to get them out of her head. She knew from previous years of monitoring that Pansy Parkinson had a crush on Draco Malfoy, despite her cold-hearted ways. She knew that she wasn't the friendly type when it came to newcomers and intruders, in this case, Scarlet herself.

Scarlet also remembered that she had mentioned Quidditch, which Pansy had no interest in whatsoever. Was she hinting at something? Scarlet didn't even want to think, because her mental abilities were drained while attempting to help Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco with their Potions homework. On top of that, Scarlet swore to herself that she saw Pansy getting into an argument with Harry, Ron, and Hermione out of the corner of her eye during supper. Then again, Pansy always quarrels with the three of them, so Scarlet decided that it wasn't of importance, but what did Pansy mean about the upcoming Quidditch match between Gryffindor? Scarlet tied all of the details together, to conclude that she must have been jealous of how close she was to Draco.

"Well, one thing is true, I've gotten much closer to him in the past couple of weeks than she's ever been to him in five years!" she blurted out to herself, then paused, leaving an awkward silence to compliment the thought. "Ah, what the hell, facts are facts, I can't change them."

She continued to ponder on the thought, despite the headache she was gradually receiving, as she found this topic a tad more important than the Liquid Death lesson in Potions class. First to Draco, then back to Pansy again. Indeed, she was in Slytherin, who were all stereotypically selfish and ignorant. If she was like the others, which Scarlet knew she was, then it meant that she was most likely up to something. Something involving her, Quidditch, and Pansy's jealousy of Draco.

"Great, that's just _swell_." She told herself sarcastically. "If I'm on the right trail of thought here, she's planning on doing something to me during the Quidditch match. And, the only thing one really can do is get injured, so I'm most likely going to be hospitalized." She thought again of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, because the match was against Gryffindor, which meant that Harry, being captain of the team, has made a deal with Pansy.

Before she knew it, she was at the top of the staircase, and passing through the intangible barrier that guarded her room. She was greeted by the same old portrait of Cornelius Fudge, who was just walking to his desk to sit down.

"Good evening, Fudge." Scarlet told him with half of the heart that she usually has toward him. He jumped in place.

"M-Miss Scarlet!" Fudge exclaimed, looking at the clock in the background of the picture. "It's rather late to be wandering the corridors, isn't it?"

"It's Friday, sir. Besides, I'm the princess, not the prefects." She replied back informatively, in case he has forgotten her title.

"Agreed." The portrait replied. "More of a reason for you to be careful."

"Fair enough. It's only ten-thirty, but I can see where this discussion is heading. Orion!"

"That's what I'm looking for!" Fudge cheered, and swung to the side, allowing her to enter. Scarlet sighed, remembering her thoughts once more, exhausted. She threw herself onto her large bed, and laid there silently for a few seconds, staring up at the ceiling.

"First thing tomorrow, I'm going to have a little chat with the Potter bunch." She told herself. "But right now, it's time for bed." She yawned, gave a decent stretch, and materialized her uniform into a silky nightgown. She slowly got out of her bed, and walked over to her bedside window. It was apparent that her favourite shape of stars, Orion, was in view that night. Seeing this, she immediately wanted to go to the Observatory, which was on the opposite side of the school, but she reluctantly followed the orders of her guardian portrait. In a way, he was right, she did have to watch her back, especially now that she was on Pansy's list of victims. She sighed with exasperation, and slipped back into her large bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a few moments once more, and dozed off.

It was very early in the morning, when Scarlet was frightfully awakened by a bad dream. It consisted of her crashing against the hard ground of the Quidditch pitch during a match, where the entire Gryffindor team hovered over her and laughed hysterically, along with the enormous crowd of spectators in the stands. She had never had such nightmares before. In fact, she hasn't had a single bad dream since she was still a young child, where the main focus would be the death of her own father, which she eventually got over as she matured because the event has not happened once. 'Why does it bother me so much?' she asked herself restlessly in thought. It was just a simple Quidditch match, where she would have to take a few extra precautions to avoid being injured…

Overtired, Scarlet groaned, and went back to sleep.


End file.
